Torghatten

A hole in his hat was the price the King paid for saving several maidens in trouble

Last edited 24/11/2015

Rising 258 metres vertically from the sea at Brønnøysundet between Brønnøysund and Rørvik, is Torghatten. The mountain, with a distinctive hole right through it, is said to be the Brønnøy King’s hat. It plays a heroic role in the Nordland fairy tale of trolls that froze to stone and became the mountains along the Nordland coast.

Early one morning according to the legend, Lekamøya and her seven sisters were fleeing from Vågekallen, who was desperate to capture a wife. The King heard them and came to the rescue of the young maidens. However Hestmannen, who had been awakened by the noise, got up and shot an arrow towards them. The King threw his hat towards the maidens to protect them. Just as the arrow pierced the hat, the sun appeared and its rays turned the trolls, hat and all into stone.

There is another, more rational explanation for the 30 metre high, 25 metre wide and 160 metre deep hole in Torghatten. The mountain may have been pushed upwards after a period sitting at a lower level, during which the sea had gradually worn a hole through its layers of rock.